Nicastro13 wrote:Is Cliff Lee an option? or is his salary out of our range?

Way out of our range.

Good news is that we could get Cliff for a bag of balls. Bad news is that his contract is worth $77 million for the next two and 1/2 years. I'd much rather see that money go to Kipnis, Chiz, Justin, Bourn, and KaZmir.

Although, it is worth noting that both Myers and Reynolds will be off the books at the end of the year, and that's $15 Mil of the $25 we'd be paying Cliff. Add in Ubaldo's 6 and we're getting close. Maybe the Phillies cover 1/2 of this years remaining contract and another 7 or so of the next two years if we throw in somebody decent in return. It'd have to be Salazar/CarCar + one of the kids to get it done. But anything is possible.

I was at a weeding this past weekend and had a guy tell me he heard rumors about it, I havent seen anything anywhere on him linked to Cleveland. He is on Buster Onleys trade list, but like others said unless Philly agrees to eat salary I dont think anyone will bite.

bookelly wrote:Although, it is worth noting that both Myers and Reynolds will be off the books at the end of the year, and that's $15 Mil of the $25 we'd be paying Cliff. Add in Ubaldo's 6 and we're getting close.

Let's not forget that Bourn and Swisher's contracts are back-loaded though and due for hikes next year. In fact, those two plus Asdrubal and Santana are due a combined $17m raise next year.... add in the arbitration eligable guys who'll be due raises/get extensions (Masterson, Kipnis, Smith, Perez, Stubbs, Marson, Brantley, Pestano) and we could be pretty much maxed out as it is.

Granted, that's on the assumption that all of those guys will still be on the roster, but it's something to consider.

Competitive balance draft lottery took place today and the Indians we're awarded pick #3 in Round A. Competitive balance picks can be traded.

For reference, that pick in the 2013 draft was the #36 overall pick so it should have some good value.

Sounds like we could use it to "draft" a LOOGY.

Hey Seattle...our comp bal pick for Oliver Perez?

I think the pick might actually have a little more value than that. With the new draft rules, almost more important than having one extra pick is the extra bonus money that comes with it..... the #36 pick this year had a draft slot just a tick over $1.5m.... gives the Indians or the team acquiring the pick a lot more room to add significant talent in the draft.

I'd be shocked if we don't trade it for something before the deadline.

Dnthateonthepronk wrote:I mean it was in New York at the Mets stadium. He has prob heard a ridiculous amount of crap from Mets fans the last few years, it was prob just an FU to them. Not a big deal.

That was definitely FU NY. Nothing to see here...

Funny actually. Cliffy be trollin'.

I think I remember hearing about how how the NY fans harrassed his wife when he was a member of the Texas Rangers and they played the Yanks in the playoffs. They gave her a hard time cussing her out, and threw a drink on her of something of the sort.

"Cocaine is a hell of a drug" - Originated from a famous skit in Dave Chappelle's "Chappelle's Show". The skit would portray Rick James, usually high on cocaine, preforming doing crazy and stupid things, such as smacking Charlie Murphy in the face. Rick James would frequently explain away his actions by saying "Cocaine is a hell of a drug".

Can't believe he was able to get that scoop. Some great investigative reporting.

Can't stand that guy. Probably half his tweets consist of him calling out some fan who dared to question his opinions.

In other news, sounds like Garza could be on the move to Texas today. Wouldn't have minded picking him up as a rental down the stretch if the cost was low, but the indications are the cost ain't low at all. So, in that case, pass.

Adverb Harry wrote:Can't stand that guy. Probably half his tweets consist of him calling out some fan who dared to question his opinions.

Concur. Morosi, Knobler and pretty much everyone else constantly beat him out for breaking news. Almost not even worth a Twitter follow anymore.

In other news, sounds like Garza could be on the move to Texas today. Wouldn't have minded picking him up as a rental down the stretch if the cost was low, but the indications are the cost ain't low at all. So, in that case, pass.

Epstein's going to turn that Cubs team around in a hurry. I think the Indians would have been more serious about Garza if the new MLB CBA didn't change the FA compensation rules so drastically. If they had the safety net of a first rounder for letting Garza walk, it makes more sense. Not so much now.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

Yeah, Chisenhall may never amount to much, but he has come around a bit lately, is still young, and isn't worth giving up on for two months of a free-agent-to-be, especially with no draft compensation for him. A trade like that could come back to haunt us after.

This is a tough market for the Tribe. We obviously could use some reinforcements, but we don't have anything we can afford to give up, other than a couple very good prospects we really need to hold onto. And what we've got available in spades--some b-level guys in the minors--isn't going to get you what you want, either. Antonetti is going to have to be really creative if he wants to improve this team. Luckily, he's shown a bit of that over the past few months with the Choo and Esmil Rogers trades, so who knows.

Antonetti doesn't have to be that creative to improve the team. Garza's one of the top trade chips out there. It's not surprising that Epstein is asking the world.

I don't think Antonetti is going to get a starter. I truly believe that they look at the return of McAllister on Tuesday as their trade for a starter. Any upgrade will be to the bullpen. That shouldn't cost a whole lot, depending on who they get.

The LOOGY crop is a lot deeper than I thought. Antonetti's probably going to look at the final group, Javier Lopez, Travis Blackley, Wesley Wright, and Joe Thatcher the hardest, and especially Blackley, Wright, and Thatcher. All controlled through next season or longer. This isn't a need that will go away any time soon.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

Tigers have been linked to damn near every bullpen arm over the last couple of days. Dombrowski's great at finding pitching at the deadline. Today, the names were Street (meh) and Gregerson (!!) from San Diego.

Hope Antonetti's got some things going on.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

skatingtripods wrote:Antonetti doesn't have to be that creative to improve the team. Garza's one of the top trade chips out there. It's not surprising that Epstein is asking the world.

I don't think Antonetti is going to get a starter. I truly believe that they look at the return of McAllister on Tuesday as their trade for a starter. Any upgrade will be to the bullpen. That shouldn't cost a whole lot, depending on who they get.

The LOOGY crop is a lot deeper than I thought. Antonetti's probably going to look at the final group, Javier Lopez, Travis Blackley, Wesley Wright, and Joe Thatcher the hardest, and especially Blackley, Wright, and Thatcher. All controlled through next season or longer. This isn't a need that will go away any time soon.

Didn't Blackley give the A's some solid starts last year too? I think he's a good under the radar guy to target.

"Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do...win the whole, f***in', thing."- Jake Taylor

skatingtripods wrote:Antonetti doesn't have to be that creative to improve the team. Garza's one of the top trade chips out there. It's not surprising that Epstein is asking the world.

I don't think Antonetti is going to get a starter. I truly believe that they look at the return of McAllister on Tuesday as their trade for a starter. Any upgrade will be to the bullpen. That shouldn't cost a whole lot, depending on who they get.

The LOOGY crop is a lot deeper than I thought. Antonetti's probably going to look at the final group, Javier Lopez, Travis Blackley, Wesley Wright, and Joe Thatcher the hardest, and especially Blackley, Wright, and Thatcher. All controlled through next season or longer. This isn't a need that will go away any time soon.

Didn't Blackley give the A's some solid starts last year too? I think he's a good under the radar guy to target.

"Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do...win the whole, f***in', thing."- Jake Taylor

Sounds like a pretty good haul for about a dozen (excluding post season) starts from Garza. I've had a man crush on Olt for a couple years now...having a down season, but that could be attributed to some vision problems earlier in the year.

It's a decent haul. Grimm will be a good fit for the NL. Not a high K guy, lot of ground balls so pitching at Wrigley won't faze him. Could be a pretty good #4/5. If Olt figures it out, he's a nice piece. Assuming Garza doesn't pitch like Dempster did as a rental last season, I don't think the Rangers will be too upset with what they gave up.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

dazindiansfanuk wrote:This didn't really warrant a thread of it's own, so figured I'd post it here as Lindor has been talked about as our main trade chip, although quite possibly untouchable.

Since his promotion to AA (7 games), he's hitting a healthy .458 (11-for-24) with 8 BB compared to ZERO Ks giving him a slash line of .458/.594/.583/1.177

Very small sample size, but his value is increasing by the day it would seem - not bad for a 19 year old.

I was at the game last night. I feel hungover from watching him. The best player on the field, no doubt. If they put everyone on the field with no #'s or names on the back of the jerseys, 99% of the people on these boards would be able to figure out who he was right away. He just stands out. I'm infatuated. If they trade him, I will Occupy the Jake.

You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves-----Abe Lincoln

Let me tell you, if any of you douchebag empty headed stuffed suit nanny politicians tries to fuck with my bacon, I’m going after you like a crazed chimpanzee on bath salts. -----Lars

Not related to current trade things, but watching the Cubs take on the D-Backs yesterday. The SS, Gregorius, we flipped to the D-Backs to get Bauer plays a mean SS. He glides effortlessly and has a cannon of an arm. Didn't hurt that he went 3-3 as well

I hope that I'm wrong, but Bauer is almost too smart for his own good. Can't help but get in the way of his own talent with constant adjustments he makes.

Anyway, folks up here are pretty happy with the Garza trade, especially if Olt shakes of the concussion related vision issues he's been having this year. Could be a fixture at 3B for the Cubs for a while. Given that Luis Valbuena has been their starting 3B all year, that bar is pretty low.

Gregorius was always regarded as a plus defensive shortstop. We'll see how the bat plays over a large sample size.

On Bauer, who knows if he'll ever figure it out. I'll still defend the trade for a long, long time, even if he doesn't pan out. The logic was sound. And it seems like the Diamondbacks wouldn't give us Skaggs, Corbin, or Bradley.

Those are the gambles you have to make. Try to acquire frontline pitching when it's available.

---

Unrelated, looks like the Cubs are finally going to unload Soriano.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

skatingtripods wrote:Gregorius was always regarded as a plus defensive shortstop. We'll see how the bat plays over a large sample size.

On Bauer, who knows if he'll ever figure it out. I'll still defend the trade for a long, long time, even if he doesn't pan out. The logic was sound. And it seems like the Diamondbacks wouldn't give us Skaggs, Corbin, or Bradley.

Those are the gambles you have to make. Try to acquire frontline pitching when it's available.

---

Unrelated, looks like the Cubs are finally going to unload Soriano.

Agreed. I wasn't questioning the wisdom of the deal, just noting that Towers took a bit of guff for 'only' getting Gregorius for Bauer. We had to take a shot since we were going to lose Choo anyway.

Sounds as if the Yanks are going to pick up Soriano, based on a few reports. AAA right-handed relief pitcher coming back to the Cubs, who will take on most of Soriano's salary. I like the moves the Cubs have been making. They've got some young kids in their system who could become solid major leaguers.

Funny, that deal Soriano signed looked like potential pain towards the end, but he's actually kept up his productivity for most of the contract. He isn't the player he once was, but when he gets hot, his bat still has a lot of pop in it. I'd rather have him than Reynolds.

WiscTribeFan wrote:Agreed. I wasn't questioning the wisdom of the deal, just noting that Towers took a bit of guff for 'only' getting Gregorius for Bauer. We had to take a shot since we were going to lose Choo anyway.

I know you weren't. I wish we'd have sent Cabrera to Arizona and gotten Bauer and Gregorius.

Sounds as if the Yanks are going to pick up Soriano, based on a few reports. AAA right-handed relief pitcher coming back to the Cubs, who will take on most of Soriano's salary. I like the moves the Cubs have been making. They've got some young kids in their system who could become solid major leaguers.

Funny, that deal Soriano signed looked like potential pain towards the end, but he's actually kept up his productivity for most of the contract. He isn't the player he once was, but when he gets hot, his bat still has a lot of pop in it. I'd rather have him than Reynolds.

Epstein will turn that team into a winner, and in short order. The top prospects in their pool are legit.

A God Damn dead man would understand that if a minor league bus in any city took a real sharp right turn, a Zack McCalister would likely fall out. - Lead Pipe

The White Sox have as many trade chips as any trade deadline seller in the majors and they're putting a high price tag on their key players. According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, the Sox recently turned down a trade offer from the Cardinals that would have sent shortstop Alexei Ramirez to St. Louis in exchange for right-hander Carlos Martinez, one of the many elite prospects in the Cards' minor league system.

If the Cardinals are willing to deal Martinez in a deal for Ramirez , I would imagine its not too far fetched that he might/may be on the table for Asdrubal. Just something to watch now that it may be confirmed that the Cards are willing to trade one of the blue chip pitchers.

And what was considered to be an untradeable contract just was. Yankees pickup Soriano from the Cubs for some mid-level prospect to be named later.

Realistically, if Soriano keeps his production levels through next year, paying him $5M next season is a pretty solid deal for the Yanks.

The Yankees and Cubs are in agreement on a trade that will send Alfonso Soriano back to the Bronx, pending approval from Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. SorianoNightengale adds that Soriano is expected to be in the Yankees' lineup tonight, and a club official told him that the Cubs will receive a Class-A pitching prospect in exchange. ESPN's Buster Olney reports (via Twitter) that the Yankees will pay $6.8MM of the roughly $24.5MM remaining on Soriano's contract -- $1.8MM in 2013 and $5MM in 2014. The Cubs will choose from a short list of pitching prospects that includes Corey Black, Tommy Kahnle and perhaps one other player, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds (via Twitter) that the Cubs are leaning towards Black, confirming a report from Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com.

Soriano is in the seventh season of an eight-year, $136MM contract that he signed with the Cubs in November 2006. He has roughly $6.6MM remaining on this season's $18MM salary and will earn $18MM once again in 2014.

The Yankees have been in the market for upgrades to their offense for quite some time, and while Soriano's OBP leaves something to be desired, he certainly still has power. Perhaps more importantly is the fact that he is of particular benefit against left-handed pitching. Soriano is hitting lefties at a .273/.310/.496 clip thus far in 2013, which will be a significant boost to a Yankees club that has batted just .234/.306/.338 against opposing southpaws.